


Flame of the Forest

by Nellancholy



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Gen, ahri is on the shadow isles for some reason, maokai's universe story was a damn good one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 10:11:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12274290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nellancholy/pseuds/Nellancholy
Summary: Ahri and Maokai witness a once-in-a-lifetime blessing. Based on Maokai's universe story,"Nightbloom".





	Flame of the Forest

Ahri darted among the dead,brittle trees,basking in the glow of the dim,tormented spirits of the Shadow Isles. They sensed life in her,consciousness,emotion. And they seethed at it.

 

But whenever they attempted to grab hold of her,to rob her of the fiery vitality sustaining her,they found themselves instead absorbed into her in turn,reduced into brittle,thin kindling for the furnace that burned within her.

 

For her part,these hollow,ancient souls were sweet,fizzing on her tongue like some heretofore unknown beverage. Just like many such indulgences,they were brief and ultimately empty of nourishment,but Ahri couldn’t help gorging herself anyway.

 

Her feast was interrupted by a crash like a great tree falling and splitting in half,accompanied by a bright flash in a nearby clearing.

 

Or rather,that bright flash created a clearing where the towering,spiraling husks of long-withered trees were once densely packed.

 

A great,swirling wall of light had formed in the forest,almost like a barrier of wind. (For some reason,that idea rather irritated Ahri.)

 

At the center stood a great hulk,thrashing and twisting as though fending off unseen assailants.

 

Her bestial curiosity piqued,Ahri couldn’t help but step through the barrier,which offered surprisingly little resistance. What did take her by surprise was how her feet seemed to fall out from underneath her,briefly leaving her sprawling on the ground within the barrier,which was unexpectedly covered with fresh,green grass.

 

A quick examination as she wobbled to her (four) feet revealed that she’d returned to the vulpine form of her “childhood”,her voice going with it as she let out a growl of annoyance. This wasn’t so bad. She was used to this.

 

Though of course,this was little help to her as the great mass in the center of the barrier raised a massive branch to strike her-

 

-and stopped short.

 

As it turned out,there was little need to explain or question,as the mass proceeded instead to take a knee,revealing itself as some sort of vaguely humanoid tree,a simplistic glowing face in the middle of its torso.

 

In sharp contrast to its earlier ferocity,it seemed…calm,if not exactly cheerful. Looking Ahri in the eye,it let out a low grunt as it began to speak. “I know you are no mere fox. You are a fool to have ventured upon these defiled shores,and yet…perhaps in this moment,we are both blessed. Come,look at what lies here.”

 

Tentatively,Ahri trotted forward on her paws,getting a closer look at the tiny,delicate flower that bloomed riotously before the hulk. Somehow,she felt something stir inside her. Perhaps she had once looked upon a delicate yet intense flame,something that burned bright and strong like the color of the small,glowing flower that sat with its stem drooping as though lamenting a final inevitable fate that was soon to come.

 

Noticing her attention on the flower,the tree spoke again. “Beautiful,isn’t it? The nightbloom. Once upon a time,it grew in great numbers across these isles,stems and their buds dotting the forests of this land. For one night,only one night a year,they would bloom as this dear one does now,letting off the same great light. By the passion of the nightbloom,night would appear as the brightest day. But by the moment the sun’s beams touched this soil the next day,every last petal of the nightbloom would fall,and every spark of their light would fade as each and every one of them wilted,never to glow again.”

 

As though on cue,another petal fell from the solitary,innocent flower,bright red rapidly turning to black,before shriveling to nothingness.

 

Ahri nodded solemnly,as they both turned their gaze back to what remained of the nightbloom. The humming of the barrier was the only sound that accompanied them as they kept a vigil over the nightbloom through the night.

 

Each petal that fell and withered away brought an immeasurable sorrow to their hearts (for in that moment,neither of the silent watchers doubted the other’s heart),and every glance back at the transient,powerful nightbloom flower renewed a brief,blazing hope in their hearts.

 

But as the tree had promised,it could not last.

 

Finally,a dim,barely noticeable glow came over the horizon,the closest thing to “day” that now existed in the suffocating fog of the isles.

 

And with it,the last petal fell,the sound of the barrier gradually giving way to the shrieks and howls of the ceaselessly suffering spirits as they took shape once more,preparing to resume their futile assault on the two beings that sat before them.

 

Ahri was the first to stand to her feet,finding herself in her empowered,magical form once more. The tree rose soon after,quietly turning its back to her as it made to leave,but not before addressing her over its shoulder.

 

“My vengeance upon these damned souls is nigh. You may join me in this battle if you wish,but whether you do or not,my fury will be sufficient to humble them thoroughly by the time it relents.”

 

With little more than a brief nod of acknowledgment,Ahri turned and headed away from the tree,back towards the shore.

 

It was time for her journey to take her elsewhere. But as the sounds of battle erupted behind her,she clasped her hands to her heart,as though cradling the small hope that someday,somewhere,she would once again see a light as beautiful,as blessed,as the one she just witnessed.


End file.
